How to Use unwilling in a Sentence

unwilling

adjective
  • He was an unwilling participant in the demonstration.
  • Ships may be unwilling to take on that risk.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 May 2026
  • Or just unwilling to get walked all over?
    — Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • Now, many are unwilling to wait.
    — Bruno V. Manno, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • There are many who are still unwilling or unable to buy a home.
    — Sam Mehrbod, Forbes, 24 June 2021
  • Are beat writers unwilling to call them out on this?
    — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 19 June 2026
  • But too many of our leaders are unwilling or afraid to say so publicly.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 29 Apr. 2021
  • The part of her that is still unwilling to do wrong by football or her viewers.
    — Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2024
  • The Cubs were unwilling to give up those type of players for a rental.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
  • The problem is not that people are lazy or unwilling to learn.
    — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • One question that came up is what else any city would be willing or unwilling to fly.
    — Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
  • This makeup case is for those unwilling to pare down their routine.
    — L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 24 Aug. 2023
  • If the Cubs are unwilling to go that high, the team could spend elsewhere.
    — Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
  • But this book is an adventure for all, even those unwilling to risk death on two wheels.
    — Elaine Sciolino, Washington Post, 29 July 2022
  • Not that either of them is incapable of that or unwilling to do it.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Then, being unwilling to tell us what the real costs of this war are going to be.
    — NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
  • The email also encouraged those who were unwilling to do the work to quit.
    — Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2021
  • The laughs have to seem forced on unwilling characters by the logic of events.
    — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
  • The story ends with a stubborn tourist unwilling to admit he was duped.
    — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Oct. 2022
  • People will be afraid to take risks, stuck in their old ways or simply unwilling to listen.
    — Brian Slipka, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Many people fear the ocean and are unwilling to enter its waters.
    — Stella Fong, Outside, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Nintendo appears to have been unwilling to do in time for launch.
    — Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2021
  • Perea bailed after about a month, unwilling to do Lyft any favors.
    — Lauren Smiley, Wired, 22 June 2021
  • Some remained at shops and pharmacies, unwilling to give up spots in line.
    — James Marson, WSJ, 13 Mar. 2022
  • Bynum says there’s a big sacrifice that many teenagers are unwilling to accept.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2026
  • Initially, the three brothers were unwilling to make the trek down the hill from their spots in the shade.
    — Gloria Rebecca Gomez, The Arizona Republic, 15 June 2022
  • But even cities that have banned such vapes for years are unwilling — or unable — to police the sellers.
    — Nicholas Florko, STAT, 27 Jan. 2023
  • But the state found landowners in Colorado unwilling to sell.
    — The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
  • But some are unable, or unwilling, to move despite the dangers.
    — Elena Becatoros, ajc, 31 May 2022
  • Or, this could be Bloom and the Sox unwilling to go to great lengths to keep their shortstop.
    — Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Dec. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unwilling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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